Day 23 ~ How to Write Acrostic Poems for #NationalPoetryMonth and 30 poems in 30 days!

Day 23 ~ How to Write Acrostic Poems for #NationalPoetryMonth and 30 poems in 30 days!

 

Acrostic Poems are one of the easiest to write. They are often assigned to schoolchildren. Pick any word and write it down the left-hand side of your paper. Use the letter to write one word per line, or to start a thought or phrase until you have come up with something for each letter in the word. No need to worry about rhyming or counting syllables or anything. Each line can be whatever length you choose, from one word to a phrase, or an actual sentence. Easy-peasy, or it should be. 😊 Ha ha. It’s easy to overthink anything and make it harder. But let’s see where this poetry format takes us today.

 

Here’s one I wrote today as an example:

 

Poems we write

Open our hearts

Enliven our souls

Make readers wonder . . . and

Show the world who we are.

 

                                © 2026 Stephanie Abney

 

Here’s a quick example of one word per letter for “MOTHER” ~

 

Magical

Optimistic

Teacher

Happy

Energetic

Remarkable

 

One of the reasons I enjoy having us write an acrostic poem nearly every year is so I can share the story of Fiona’s poem. You may have heard this story before, but I can NEVER tell or hear it too often!! So cute!

 

Fiona’s Snake Poem:

 
In 2016, I went to China to teach English at an “English Camp” during their winter break. I have shared this before, but I really can’t let this poetry form pass without sharing this delightful experience once again. I had a 14-year-old student named “Fiona.” I explained how to write an acrostic poem and suggested to the students that they choose a favorite animal for their poem. I gave additional details, and they got busy. Soon they were showing me their poems. They did a wonderful job. Then Fiona turned in her poem:

Snow is falling down.
No one wants to stay outside.
A little girl stands at my front door.
Knocks it with a little cry.
Early afternoon, she falls asleep in my room.

 
I read it and told her that it was a lovely poem, but it had nothing to do with a snake. She replied, “But I wrote ‘S-N-A-K-E’ down the left-hand side.” So I explained that the poem also needed to be ABOUT a snake if that was the word she chose. Fiona said, “Okay,” took the paper back, added a few words, and turned it back in…

Here is what she added to that last line following “Early afternoon, she falls asleep in my room … and then she turned into a snake.”

I loved it!! Love her!! I laughed so hard. It is a

cherished memory. And now, you can enjoy it too. 

Cheers!!
 

(Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay)

Whatcha’ got?

 

PLEASE REMEMBER ~ any poetry found on this blog, written by me, is my personal property and may not be used without my permission, other than sharing it as an example in a lesson or to read it to someone. The same goes for any poems that are shared in the comments of this blog or elsewhere online as a result of this challenge. They are the creative property of the person who writes them. These poems are their original work, and no one may use them without their permission. It is understood that they own the copyright to them as soon as they create them, and especially once they post them. Thanks so much!

*** Also, if you choose to post your poems on your own blog or elsewhere on social media ~ that’s awesome. But PLEASE don’t just copy and paste my daily instructions, but rather post your poem on your blog or your FB wall or wherever AND LINK BACK TO EACH DAY’S SPECIFIC BLOG POST for others to come here to read the instructions. I’ve spent considerable time researching the poetry forms and writing them up to share with you. Thanks for respecting my work.